Convert NTFS to FAT32 with EaseUS Partition Master. Best for: Windows Beginners. Difficulty Level. Part 2: Format NTFS Drive on Mac The second task is how to format NTFS drive on Mac. NTFS is built for windows operating system therefore it is not supported by Mac. For this case, it is advisable to install programs called NTFS 3G, which works in, handy with MacFuse.

May 06,2020 • Filed to: Mac Recovery • Proven solutions

'Is it possible to format FAT32 and NTFS drives on Mac by myself?' A user asked us about this question.

Certainly you can format the drives yourself by directly setting in the 'Application' on Mac. Many people think it is hard to format the windows drive on Macintosh. No worry, actually it is not impossible to realize it no matter you use an external or internal drive of your windows system. We here will show you the full guides on how to format FAT32 and NTFS drives on Mac as an example.

Part 1: Format FAT32 Drive on Mac

First, let us look on how to format FAT32 drive on Mac (macOS Sierra). You could be wondering what FAT32 is. It is a file system in Windows 95, 98, and windows Millennium Edition.

One major advantage about this file system is that nearly all the operating systems can read and write from it. On the contrary, it just accommodates files less than 4GB. So if you have a drive that you want to format ensure it is smaller size. Nevertheless, if you have a drive that is more than 4GB, you can download software known as Swissknife. After installing it, it will be much easier to format large files.

How to format FAT32 drive on Mac

Step 1. Now here is how to format your FAT32 external drive on Mac. Go finder window on you Mac then click on Applications the image right.

Step 2. From there, you need to open disk utility. Therefore, scroll down until you see a folder Utilities Double click on it.

Step 3. What you have to do is scroll down through the icons until you find an icon labelled Disk Utility again double click on it.

Step 4. When it opens at the centre, it will command you to select a disk, volume, image that you want to format.

Step 5. From there, you need to open disk utility. Therefore, scroll down until you see a folder Utilities Double click on it.

Step 6. Move the cursor to the top left and choose the disk you want to format. To achieve this you have to double click on your external drive and click the Erase icon, which is at the top of your Mac screen. After doing so, a command dialog box will be displayed that give you options of formatting your drive.

Step 7. Your problem is almost getting a solution if you still keeping track to these steps. Next, go to Format at the centre of the screen and select MS-DOS (Fat) file format system that allows compatibility with your windows drive.

Below that, you will see Name this allows you to change the name of your external drive if you wish to. From there, click Erase at the bottom of the screen. Immediately you will get a warning but go ahead and click, Erase.

When you here just relax and wait until the process is over before you remove the drive. When reformatting process is over your drive will beFAT32 and you can now use it.

Part 2: Format NTFS Drive on Mac

The second task is how to format NTFS drive on Mac. NTFS is built for windows operating system therefore it is not supported by Mac. For this case, it is advisable to install programs called NTFS 3G, which works in, handy with MacFuse. Both of these are first installed in the computer. It is easier and faster to install despite having using some cash to purchase these NTFS apps such as Tuxera or Paragon NTFS. When both are installed to the PC, they will enable the user to read and write on the drive that is after following these steps.

How to format NTFS drive on Mac

Step 1. Follow the similar procedure that is used in formatting the FAT32 above. Go to finder window in your Mac, and then click on Applications at the left hand side of your screen.

Step 2. Then double click on Utilities icon, which will appear at the screen along other applications you have installed in your computer.

Next, click on Disk Utility. As the NTFS 3G is free program most users have noted bugs despite of its success. Since you had inserted your external drive, hence it will pop up at the top right of your screen. Select that drive you want to format by first choosing the NTFS 3G format that will be displayed. You can also opt to rename your drive if you wish. Once again at the bottom of your screen to the right you will see Erase option. Click it. A warning will be displayed to you that require you simply click Erase .Be patient as the drive is formatted when it is done you are good to go. You can now read and copy paste items on your drive. Another alternative to Tuxera is Paragon NTFS. This program gives a user a room for modification and deletion of items on windows NTFS. As you have seen the NTFS formatted drives should not worry since you have a way out.

You may have encountered a case where you insert an external drive in your Mac and you cannot copy items on your Mac but you can read them. It is because your drive is using the NTFS windows system. Therefore, this leads to our third point of discussion on how to format any drive on your Mac. Disk utility is the vital application in Apple product. It makes the Mac world to be easy and interesting to use as it removes the obstacles between NTFS and HFS+. As usual, insert the drive let us say the hard disk or USB drive.

Step 3. In the finder window click Applications, go to Utilities, scroll down the screen and double click on Disk Utility. Click on the drive that you want to format. At the centre, you click on the icon Erase. A dialog box will be seen at the bottom of it with a round four commands. Select an option in which you want to format your drive. For instance, if you select an option MS DOS FAT, it will well suit with windows as well as Mac. On the other hand, if you choose MAC OS Extended (Journaled) your drive will only harmonize with Mac.

Anyway, that is not the case since everyone has his or her own preferences. Whichever option you want to choose you will still format your drive to suit your desires. From there, you click Erase and upon completion of that process, your drive will be formatted successfully.

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NTFS and FAT32 are two types of file systems used in Windows operating system. In the following, you'll learn the differences between NTFS and FAT32, when to use NTFS or FAT32, and how to convert NTFS to FAT32 or vice versa.

NTFS vs. FAT32, Which Is Better

FAT32 is one of the oldest file system variants of FAT, used in earlier versions of the operating system such as DOS and Windows version before XP. Till now, FAT32 is still serving Windows users as the default format for some external storage devices such as SD memory cards, and USB flash drives.

NTFS is a newer file system after FAT, developed by Microsoft. NTFS, known as NT File System, is the default file system of the Windows NT family, including the latest Windows operating system.

Here is a comparison table between NTFS and FAT32, you can see more details between them:

Accordingly, FAT32 supports up to 4GB file and 2TB max volume size. In other words, you can only save single files smaller than 4GB to a FAT32 device. NTFS supports up to 16TB single file with 2 - 4 TB volume size in practice.

So which is better? Actually, as two widely used file systems on Windows PC, you can't directly say which one is better and which is not that good.

Due to different purposes, you will need to use a different file system for a Windows partition or external storage device partition, which is something we'll discuss in the next part.

When to Use NTFS or FAT32

Here are two cases that people posted online, looking for a way to convert NTFS to FAT32:

Case 1 -

'The USB Drive is NTFS, but the BIOS file won't be recognized by the computer. To resolve the issue, I need to convert the USB Drive format from NTFS to FAT32.'

Case 2 -

'I wanna back up my system partition and it is an NTFS partition. However, the backup application I use doesn't support NFTS and only FAT is supported. So I need to convert NTFS to FAT32.'

So when do you should use NTFS or FAT32？ Here, we listed some common usages of NTFS and FAT32 that can help you to determine whether you need NTFS or FAT32:

• To set the drive for installing Windows, NTFS is the best for Windows 10/8/7 and newer OS. FAT32 is for old OS (Windows XP and older).
• To transfer files on a non-Windows OS, FAT32 is the best choice. (As long as your file sizes are smaller than 4GB.)
• To set the best file system for your external storage device such as USB, SD card, etc, which are smaller than 64GB, FAT32 is the best.
• To set a default file system for most game controllers or game drives, FAT32 is the best. exFAT takes second place.

Obviously, FAT32 is wildly used especially on external storage devices and file transfer. So how to change the file system from NTFS to FAT32?

NTFS to FAT32 Converters Free Download

Here the following, we'll cover 4 FAT32 formatted that will help you effectively convert NTFS to FAT32 with ease.

• #1. Use EaseUS Partition Master - Easy
• #2. Use Windows File Explorer - Easy
• #3. Use Disk Management - Medium
• #4. Use DiskPart Command Prompt - Hard

All the four NTFS to FAT32 converters support all Windows OS, including Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, etc. The former converter is, the better it works to change the file system of your device.

Pick up the desired tool and follow the tutorial below to convert your device from NTFS to FAT32 with ease now.

Method 1. Convert NTFS to FAT32 with EaseUS Partition Master

Best for: Windows Beginners

Difficulty Level: Extremely easy

Capacity Limit: None

The easiest way is to use a third-party NTFS to the FAT32 format tool. EaseUS partition magic tool can help you do this job easily. It is a powerful tool that allows you to change the file system between NTFS and FAT32.

The software works perfectly in Windows 10, 8, 8.1, 7, XP, and Vista. It does more than simply formatting NTFS device to FAT32. It also supports to:

• Support other file systems, including exFAT, FAT16, Ext2/3/4, etc.
• Supports to Convert FAT/FAT32 to NTFS without formatting, no data loss.
• Supports formatting 64GB/128GB UBS to FAT32 without limit.
• Supports advanced features, including resizing partition, converting a disk to MBR/GPT, transferring OS, etc.

After backing up data, you can start to convert NTFS to FAT32 by formatting your device then. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition you intend to format and choose 'Format'.

Step 2: In the new window, enter the Partition label, choose the FAT32 file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs, then click 'OK'.

Step 3: Then you will see a warning window, click 'OK' in it to continue.

Step 4: Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting the partition to FAT32.

Method 2. Change NTFS to FAT32 using Windows File Explorer

Best for: Windows Beginners

Difficulty Level: Easy

Capacity Limit: Device should be 32GB or smaller

As for most Windows users, another easy way to change NTFS to FAT32 is using Windows built-in FAT32 formatter - Windows File Explorer.

It's efficient and easy. Let's see how to format your storage device to FAT32:

Step 1. Connect your hard drive or external storage device to Windows PC.

Step 2. Double-click This PC/My computer to open File Explorer.

Step 3. Locate and right-click on the USB drive, select 'Format'.

Step 4. Set the FAT32 as the target file system, tick 'Quick Format' and click 'Start' to start the formatting.

When you finish the formatting, click 'OK' to confirm. Now, your device is with FAT32.

Method 3. Format NTFS to FAT32 Using Disk Management

Best for: Experienced Windows users

Difficulty Level: Medium

Capacity Limit: Device should be 32GB or smaller

The other method is to use Disk Management. Note that the FAT32 option will be unavailable in the drop-down box if the drive size you desire to format is larger than 32GB (Windows limitation). Also, back up data before your operations.

Ntfs For Mac Change Computer

How can I convert the USB Drive format from NTFS to FAT32?

1. Right-click 'This PC' or 'My Computer' and click 'Manage', click 'Disk Management'.

2. Choose your USB Drive, right click the drive and choose 'Format'. Click 'Yes'.

Open Ntfs On Mac

3.Name the drive and select the file system as 'FAT32'. Click 'OK'.

4. You can find the format is FAT32.

When the formatting completes, you can find the format is FAT32 displaying in Disk Management.

Method 4. Format NTFS Device to FAT32 via DiskPart

Best for: Experienced or advanced users, administrators

Difficulty Level: Hard

Capacity Limit: Device should be 32GB or smaller

Unlike Windows File Explorer and Disk Management, DiskPart does more jobs than merely formatting devices. It also executes some advanced management jobs on Windows and Windows Server machines.

To use the DiskPart command line to change the file system to FAT32, you need to be very careful with the following steps:

Connect the storage device that you need to convert from NTFS to FAT32 to your PC.

Step 1. Type cmd in Windows Search, right-click on Command Prompt and select 'Run as administrator'.

Step 2. Type diskpart into the Command Prompt window and hit Enter.

Step 3. Type the following command lines and hit Enter each time:

• list disk
• select disk 0(Replace 0 with the disk number of your target device)
• list volume
• select volume 2(Replace 2 with the volume number of your device)
• format fs=fat32 quick

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Step 4. When the formatting process completes, type exit to close DiskPart.

After this, your device is now with FAT32.

The Bottom Line

On this page, we explained what is NTFS, what is FAT32, and when to use NTFS or FAT32. As FAT32 obtains higher compatibility, we also provided 4 NTFS to FAT32 converters to help you change the file system of your device from NTFS to FAT32 with ease.

Ntfs For Mac

Note that before you convert to FAT32, copy your data to another drive or use backup and recovery software to back up data.

If you prefer an easy and effective FAT32 formatter, especially to format big devices (more than 32GB) to FAT32, EaseUS Partition Master is always ready to help.

People Also Ask

1. Can NTFS convert to fat32?

Yes, you can convert NTFS to fat32. But the common-used Windows built-in tools (Disk Management, Window File Explorer) only allows you to convert NTFS to FAT32 by reformatting this partition. Of course, that will cause data loss. Don't worry, try EaseUS Partition Master without formatting or data loss.

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2. Is NTFS better than fat32?

Which is better? Actually, as two widely used file systems on Windows PC, you can't directly say which one is better and which is not that good. FAT32 supports up to 4GB file and 2TB max volume size. In other words, you can only save single files smaller than 4GB to a FAT32 device. NTFS supports up to 16TB single file with 2 - 4 TB volume size in practice.

3. How can I convert NTFS to fat32 without formatting?

• Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition you intend to format and choose 'Format'.
• Choose the FAT32 file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs,
• Then click 'OK'.